Turbine water-wheel.



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F" m 4 6 6 0 N TURBINE WATER WHEEL.

(Application filed Jan. 17, 1900.)

2 Sheatg-Shaet I.

(No Model.)

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No. 664,39l. Patented Dec. 25, 1900. F. ELLICOTT.

TURBINE WATER WHEEL.

(Application filed Jam 17, I900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Modal.)

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NITED STATES PATENT Futon.

. FRANCIS ELLIOOTT, OF BALTIMQRE, MARYLAND.

==r'u RB'INE WATER-WH EEL.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,391, dated December25, 1900. Original application filed September 13, 1899, Serial No.730,383. Divided and this application filed January 1'], 1900. Seriallie-1,789.

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, FRANCIS ELLICOTT,citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Baltimorecity, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Turbine Water-Wheels,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a turbine waterwheel and the peculiarconstruction of the buckets of the runner and the proportion of thesebuckets to the inlets; and the object of my invention is to secure highefficiency at any head and any quantity of water. 1

' This application is a division of anapplication filed by me September13, 1899, Serial No. 730,383.

In the drawings similar characters indicate the same parts in allfigures.

Figurelisanexternalelevation of the wheelcasing, partially insection,showing inlets and runner. Fig. 2 is a vertical elevation of the runnerremoved from the casing. Fig. 3 is a rear view of one of the buckets.Fig. at is a front end View of one of the buckets. is a section of (meetthe buckets through the line to a: of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a section of thesame bucket through the line y y of Fig. 4;. Fig. 7 is a diagramshowingthe angle of curvav Fig. 9 is .a front face view of the bucket,and Fig. 10 is a bottom view of the bucket.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 is a case surrounding therunner and shaft; I

2 2 are water-inlets through the walls of the casing, introduced at anangle so that the inner edge of each inlet shall be approximatelytangent to the peripheryof therunner-z'. a,

to a circle described by the external edge of.

the buckets as they revolve. The outer wall of each inlet is tangent toa somewhat smaller circle. e

3 is a cylindrical gate fitting closely into the wheel-casing andsuitably connected to a mechanism by which it is raised and lowered tocover more or less of the mouths of the inlets, and thus admit a greateror less quantity of water to the runner. In the vertical side of theinlets 2 2 are grooves 4 4, opposite each other, and in practice Igenerally employ several sets of these grooves, which are on the sameplane, at right angles to the axis of the Fig. 5

Fig. 8 is (Np model.)

runner in all inlets. In these grooves are inthat a higher efficiencycan be secured with thesame runner when the water entering the wheelthrough the inlets is divided and confined on the exterior of the gatethan when it is not so confined. opened one-third of the height of theinlet and no dividing-plate be used, the eddy currents. on the exteriorof the gate will to some extent destroy the efliciency ofthe waterpassing through that part of the inlet which is left open by the gate.If the open area of the inlet is circumscribed by the introduction of adividingplate and the entering water be given more positive directionby-the rigidwalls of the inlet,' which converge directly to the mouth ofthe portion of the inlet which is open, the impact of the water upon therunner will be more effective and a greater amount of power will bedeveloped. Hence while the water is low and the wheel is running atabout one-third gate a higher efficiency can be obtained by theintroduction of the dividing-plate such as is shown in this figure. Thesame is true when the wheel is running with the gate two-thirds open anda second plate is used. If the wheel be constructed to use the averagewater at full gate, the best results are accomplifiled by locating thegroovesin positions corresponding to the proportion'ed decline of thesupply, and then shifting the plates from one position to another as thesupply fluctuates. The plates, therefore, are made removable, so, thatone set of plates-may be used for the wheel, and

they may be. pemoved from one position to another as thd-quantity ofwater available for the purpose of the'wheel varies, .and this may bedone with ease and facility, besides which the presence of a plate inthe center of the inlet decreases the area and also acts to catch leavesor other solid matter in .thewater, and thus obstruct the inlet. Thegrooved inlets and removable plates If the gate be 1898, Serial NO.680,14t2.

r 6 is a toe mounted on a cross-bar at the" lower end of the casing. 7is a socket fitting upon it. p i

8 isa main driving-shaft having a flange'i). 10 is a conical hub keyedupon the main driving-shaft 8 and resting upon the flange 9. The hub isconical in form on its exterior andcurved inward, as shown in Fig. 2. To

the surface of the hub 10 is secured a series of buckets 11 ll 11 in therelative positions shown in Fig. 2. The bucket itself is shown in detailin Figs. 3 to 10. The position shown in Fig. 4, which is a frontendview, is the same as the view of the bucket at the center of the runneras it appears in Fig. 2. The bucket has a straight front edge which isparallel to'the axis of the runner and paral-' lel to the interior ofthe, cylindrical gate; It is sheared on its front edge, as shown inFigs. 5 and 6, so as to present a sharp edge and the least possibleresistance to the water entering the inlet when the bucket is oppositethe inlet. I The upper portion of the bottom of the bucket--that is tosay, of the portion with which the water entering the inlet makescontact when the gate is first opened by lowering is convex. Theconvexsurfacereferred tois marked 12 in Figs. 4 and 9. It will-also benoticed that the area of the bucket at that point is small anditgradually enlarges toward the lower end of the bucket. The portion ofthe bottom of the bucket marked 13 in Fig. 4 is concave, and there the.area is much larger than at the point 12. The extreme end of the bucketis bent away from the direction of travel of the runner, and

the end of the bucket is curved almost at a right angle to form anoutlet between the curved end and the back of the next following bhcket.i v Refhrring to the diagram Fig. 7, lines a and c d intersect oneanother at e and are each tangent to the circle 9. fis a circle havingthe same center as g and a radius equal to that of the runner, while 9is a circle of calculated radius to which the lines a b and c d aretangent. The radius of gis such as to give to a b and c d the desiredangle at e.. a b will represent the inclination of the upper portion ehthe bottom of the bucket, as

shown in section in Fig. 5, and c (1 will rep-- resent the inclinationof the portion of the. The

made to increase in asomewhat greater ratio than the area of the'inlet-that is to say, the portion of the bottom ofv the bucket opposite acorresponding portion of the inlet above a horizontal plane is greaterthan the area of the inletand this area increases in a con--stantly-increasing ratio until the jnaxi num area of the bottom of thebucket is reached.

In the diagram Fig. 7, a I) represent the inclination of the convexsurface, and it will will be. perceived that the line a 1) makes, withatangent to the, circle f at e, an acute angle, which will cause thewater to flow toward-thcangle and theedge of the bucket.

The "conical form of the hub serves at this point tocontract the bucket,soils to form a. pocket somewhat proportiuhal in size to the ai'nount ofwater being admitted. The down- 'ward incline of thebottom-below allowsa free escape for the water after it has expended its initial force inimpact. Thelower por- I tion of the bucket l3is concave and of muchlarger area than the upper part, required by the" fact that as thegate'opeus the quantity of-water admitted increases and must be providedfor.

The-differences of angle upon which the bottom of the bucket isconstructed, as shown in diagram Fig. 7, have been found to be importantin order that the maximum efficiency ofa small quantity of water may besecured when the gate is open only about one-third,

in consequence of the water being low. A

maximum efliciency is secured by directing the impact of the inlet-jetat the extreme edge of the bucket. The angle of that portion of thebucket which the water strikes when the gate is nearly closed istherefore made an acute anglewith the tangent to the circle at theoutlet, and the water is therefore thrown toward the periphery of therunner and the edge of the bucket, and the full leverage of the radiusof the runner is employed. As the inlet is enlarged the quantity ofwater entering is too great to be utilized in the contracted portion ofthe bucket, and it is necessary, therefore, to give the bucket agreater. area and also to give discharge direction to the current. Thisis accomplished by providing thelower part of the bucket with the pocket13, the curve of which continues to-the discharge end ofthe bucket. Asthe water enters the upper partof the inlet it will strike upon theconcave hub and be deflected downward and outward, and it is desirableto'interpose into the path of this current a resisting-surface. Hencethe angle of the bottom of the bucket is changed from the position shownby the lines or b to the position shown by the lines a d, and the.impact of the current as it is deflected fromv the oonical hub outwardagainst the-bottom p the bucket will be availed of to rotate the runner.This action produces-an expenditure of the power of the water in impactand reaction. at the greatestdistance from the axis of the runner, andthereby produces t diliifihect elii- 'right angles to the edge. If theywereextended to a complete right angle, the highest efficiency wouldresult if other elements were in proper relation but 'I have found thata certain law. must be obeyed in construction to secure the highestefficiency. Each bucket being turned at a right angle and curved at itslower end when they are placed on the igo ' opening out of which thewater has to flow inlet.

conical hub, there will be a certain area between the bottom of onebucket and the back of the next-that is, the area of the dischargewhenescaping from the runner must be maintained at a certain relation to thearea of inlet in order to get the best result. If the area of outlet beless thanthe area of inlet, the inlet-water will be retarded and thechiciency of the wheel will be lowered.

' I have found by calculation and experimentthat the highest efficiencyis secured when the lower ends of the buckets are tu rned almost to aright angle and the area ofthe outlet is somewhat greater than :the areaof If the wheel be constructed with this relation of area of outlet toinlet at full gate, a lower efficiency will be secured at less than fullgate. 1 The efficiency may be raised, however, by readjustingthedividing-plates of the-inlet, so as to make the inlet'a complete one,having. parallel top and bottom for the amount of water. available forthe wheel, and

when the water is constant by removing one set of buckets and replacingthem by another set the outlets of which bear. the best relation to theinlets.- 'As the areaof outlet is increased in proportion to inlet theamount of water which will pass'through the wheel, and consequently thehorse-power of the wheel under constant head, will beincreased; but theefficiency will be lowered. By reducing the diameter of the hubat thelower end to the diameter of the shaft and widening the bucketscorrespondingly I can increase the area of outlet, which will permit acorrespending increase of inlet, and thus acco|n-- cylindrical gate.

the upper portion or inclined at an acute an-' bythe end of thebucketatth-epointot the 1 dial plane-of plish a maximum water capacityand maximum horse-power for a 'givensized wheel. My form of'bucket,therefore, may be stated as being one the exterior edge of which isparallel tothe axis of the runner and to the The bottom is convex at glewith the tangent to the circledescribed edge of the bucket. It isconcave at. the

lower portion, or the bottom maybe located at an obtuse angle to; thetangent to the cire cle described by the edge-0f the bucket, and

the bottom is bent at the-lower end in an op posite direction to themoti'onof the runner and trough-shaped at its lowcrwend, the indirectionaway from the Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, 1s r 1'. In a turbine water-wheel, thecombination of a casing having water-inlets, a gate and a runner, therunner being provided with a series of buckets, having their outer edgespractically straight and parallel to the axis of the runner, the upperportions of their bottoms being convex, the .lower portion concave, andtheir lower concave ends turned in adirection opposite to the motion ofthe runner, substantially as described. f

2, In a turbine water-wheel, the combination of a casing havingwater-inlets, a cylinder gate and runner, the runnerbeing formed with aconcave conical hub and a series of buckets attached to the exteriorsurface of thehub, the outer edges of the bucket being practicallystraight and parallel to the axis of the runner, the upper portion oftheir hottoms being-convex, the lower-portionsj'being concave, and theirlower concave ends being turned in, a direction opposite the tiq f therunner.-' l

I 3. In a turbine water-wheel, the c01nbinatibn of a casing havingwater-inlets, a gate and a runner, the runner being provided with aseries of buckets havingtheir outer edges practically straight andparallel to the axis of the runner, the upperp'ortions of the bottoms ofthe ,buckets being convex, the lower por tions concave, and the lowerconcave end turnedjin a direction almost a'right angle oproe posite to.the direction of the motion of the runner, and 'havingan outlet areaslightly greater than the inlet,area, as and for the.

purpose specified. 1 a 4. In a turbine water-wheel the combinaa seriesof buckets having theig' outer edges practically straight and parallelto the axis of the runner and their bottoms convex at the upper part andconcave atthe lower part, these; parts being oppositely inclined to arathe wheel, substantially as de scribed.

' 5. 'In a turbine water-wheel the combination of a'casing and awater-inlet, a descending cylindrical gate, and a-runnenthe-run- IQStion of a casing having water-inlets, a gate, Y and a runner, the runnerbeing provided with ner being provided with a series of buckets havingtheir outer edges-practically straight and parallel to the axis'oftherunnenthe upper portions of their bottoms being convex, the' lowerportions concave, these portions being oppositely inclined to a radialplane of the wheel and having their lowerconcave end turned in adirection oppositeto the motion of the runner. substantially asdescribed.-

Signed byme at Baltimore city State of Maryland, this 12'th day ofJanuary, 1900. i FRANCIS ELLICOTT-.- Witnesses:

' CHARLES H. MILLIKIN,

W. W. POWELL.

